Thanksgiving blessing
This is an oldie, something I wrote in 2004. Until I write another thanksgiving blessing, this is it!
Thanksgiving Praise
For home and hearth
And family
For fowl and fur
And every tree
For gardens dormant
And verdant
For loves earthly
And Heaven-sent
Thanks go to Thee.
© 2004 Kimberley Broyles,
Gardenwife.com
Today, write down a list of ten things you’re thankful for. It will lift your spirits and reaffirm that there is much to be thankful for, even in the midst of uncertainties and trials.
By the way, you can sing this to the tune of the doxology. Just sing the last line to the typical “aaaaaaamen”: Thanks go to theeeeeeee. Play the Doxology Accompaniment.
Sorry, hopeful and thankful
Last night was a low point for me. I think the stresses of the last year and life in general built up and I reached “that point” that we all do when we bottle things inside. I had a bad sinus headache to begin with, and that moment of physical weakness broke me down to the point where everything seemed terrible. In the midst of it, suddenly realized how a bad attitude had come to rest within me.
I had one of those moments where I saw myself as a stranger would if he could see my thoughts. Ouch. I’ve let myself become bitter, critical, someone I wouldn’t want to be around. I’ve always said of people who act bitter or nasty that they must be terribly unhappy to act the way they do. It’s a way people distance themselves from hurts and worries, because it’s easier to find fault with everything around us than it is to admit our own shortcomings and make changes in our lives.
I’ve been one of those people recently, and I don’t like her. That’s not me, not the GW who seeks to live a godly life and treat people as God would have her treat them. I saw this bitterness and anger coming out in destructive ways.
Most people might not have noticed this. We all have different faces we present in different situations. And no single part of our personality defines us as a whole. Even as the apostle Paul said of how he adapted to various situations, “I have become all things to all men” (1 Cor. 1:9). Often, it’s only family or very close friends who see the undesirable parts of us because we hide it so well from others.
Still, even if no one else knows, I do.
So, I cried. A lot. It’s been months since I’ve cried and I know even that alone would have been cathartic. But I also asked God’s forgiveness for my attitude and asked Him to help me be the person He wants me to be.
I know it isn’t going to happen overnight. Oh, how I wish it would! It involves daily choices. Sometimes it means taking things by the hour or even by the minute.
It means thinking things through before I say them, asking the Lord to be my inner censor. I don’t want to be that person who makes the light go out of someone’s eyes with words rashly spoken, even if I’m right. Why do I need to show I’m right about something? Why is this important to me and, really, does it even really matter in the grand scheme of things? Why do I need to defend my actions?
Are my words, be they spoken or written, going to build up or tear down? Is my critique legitimate? Is it really necessary to voice it? What are my motives for what I’m about to do? That’s a biggie. What do I hope to accomplish with these words or this action? Will this make me a better person? Will it bruise or will it heal? Will it draw others to God, or only serve as ammunition against Him and His people?I must ask myself these when I feel a need to prove a point:
You get the idea. It’s hard! But it’s worth it.
It’s also something I need to do not only for myself, but for everyone around me. As Dennis Prager writes in Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
This brings me to today.This morning, I read a post on the Fiskateers message board that made me stop and think. It was a call for people to list 5 things they’re thankful for. This was my post:
What a great idea. Thanks for starting this thread! I am thankful
1. that God knows us from the inside out, and loves us in spite of our baggage
2. for my husband who, like God, is long on grace and is my best friend
3. for the big family I married into; as a “lonely only” it’s nice having siblings
4. for the technology that lets me photograph and instantly see the pictures, connect with friends from around the world, and learn new things with such ease
5. for this time of year, when I can put my garden to bed without guilt and turn my thoughts more toward scrapbooking and other indoors hobbies
I have one more to add: I am thankful that my future is not etched in stone just because I have a propensity toward something. We do not have to stay the people that we have become. As the saying goes, “God loves you just the way we are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way”.
So here’s to change, whether it be noticeable only to us or to many.
Anonymous gifts that bless others: An angel among us
Have you ever been the recipient of an anonymous gift? Have you ever given one?
There’s no telling how your “small” and anonymous gesture may bring comfort and happiness to someone. What an encouragement to use our gifts to bless others. And to do it anonymously is the best because you’re not only letting God alone have the glory, but you’re building a sense of anticipation and mystery, which only adds to the fun. Whoever this family’s angel was, I salute you.
Whose angel might you be?
An Angel Among Us
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Cheer
BY: By Rita Hampton
I come from a large family of nine brothers and sisters, and all of us have kids of our own. On each Christmas night, our entire family gathers at my oldest sister’s home, exchanging gifts, watching the nativity skit put on by the smaller children, eating, singing and enjoying a visit from Santa himself.
The Christmas of 1988, my husband Bob and I had four children. Peter was eleven, Leigh-Ann was nine, Laura was six and Matthew was two. When Santa arrived, Matthew parked himself on Santa’s lap and pretty much remained dazzled by him for the rest of the evening. Anyone who had their picture taken with Santa that Christmas also had their picture taken with little Matthew.
Little did any of us know how precious those photos with Santa and Matthew would become. Five days after Christmas, our sweet little Matthew died in an accident at home. We were devastated. We were lucky to have strong support from our families and friends to help us through. I learned that the first year after a death is the hardest, as there are so many firsts to get through without your loved one. Birthdays and special occasions become sad, instead of joyous.
When our first Christmas without Matthew approached, it was hard for me to get into the holiday spirit. Bob and I could hardly face putting up the decorations or shopping for special gifts for everyone. But we went through the motions for Peter, Leigh-Ann and Laura. Then, on December 13th, something extraordinary happened to raise our spirits when we didn’t think it was possible.
We were just finishing dinner when we heard a knock on the front door. When we went to answer it, no one was there. However, on the front porch was a card and gift. We opened the card and read that the gift-giver wanted to remain anonymous; he or she just wanted to help us get through a rough time by cheering us up.
In the gift bag was a cassette of favorite Christmas music, which was in a little cardboard Christmas tree. The card described it as being “a cartridge in a pine tree,” a twist on the “partridge in a pear tree” verse in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” We thought that it was a very clever gift, and the thoughtfulness of our “elf” touched our hearts. We put the cassette in our player and, song by song, the spirit of Christmas began to warm our hearts.
That was the beginning of a series of gifts from the clever giver, one for each day until Christmas. Each gift followed the theme of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in a creative way. The kids especially liked “seven swans a-swimming,” which was a basket of swan-shaped soaps plus passes to the local swimming pool, giving the kids something to look forward to when the warm days of spring arrived. “Eight maids a-milking” included eight bottles of chocolate milk, eggnog and regular milk in glass bottles with paper faces, handmade aprons and caps. Every day was something very special. The “five golden rings” came one morning just in time for breakfast — five glazed doughnuts just waiting to be eaten.
We would get calls from our family, neighbors and friends who would want to know what we had received that day. Together, we would chuckle at the ingenuity and marvel at the thoughtfulness as we enjoyed each surprise. We were so caught up in the excitement and curiosity of what would possibly come next, that our grief didn’t have much of a chance to rob us of the spirit of Christmas. What our elf did was absolutely miraculous.
Each year since then, as we decorate our Christmas tree, we place on it the decorations we received that Christmas while we play the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” We give thanks for our elf who was, we finally realized, our very own Christmas angel. We never did find out who it was, although we have our suspicions. We actually prefer to keep it that way. It remains a wondrous and magical experience — as mysterious and blessed as the very first Christmas.
Dave’s Garden people are the best!
Dave’s Garden people are the best! Howie and I have known this for a long time, since 2001 as a matter of fact. When Howie had his life-changing back surgery at Johns Hopkins in 2006, it was DG people who buoyed our spirits in the forums during the months leading up to his surgery and for months afterward. It was DG friends who took us into their Maryland home like family while he recovered. It was DG people who watched a continuing thread I updated right from the waiting room while he had his surgery. It’s a stellar group of people there. It’s family.
Today, I learned of another member, Tracy Pruitt, aka aggiegrl, who witnessed this kind of community support this month. In response to her post regarding her family having to vacate their rental home, she witnessed gardeners arriving at her home from all around Texas, all to help her move her beloved garden. The story was picked up by NPR and All Things Considered aired a story about it. Go give it a listen. It’ll do your heart good.
It makes sense that the people at a gardening website would be nurturing, giving people. A true gardener loves to share!
Live from Frederick
It’s a video blog!
A few notes about the video: The song played during the Sideling Hill sequence of photos is “Train’s Up in the Sky”, by the now defunct band Mylon Lefevre and Broken Heart. I was a big MLBH fan back in the day (as in the mid to late-80’s). The second song is “Drivin’ my Life Away“, by Eddie Rabbit. You can learn more about Sideling Hill at the Maryland DNR site and . You can also read information about the Sideling Hill tunnel online. Wikipedia has a good write-up about it, too.We are having such a nice visit with our friends Michael and Dea. They’re the friends we stayed with when Howie had his back surgery at Johns Hopkins in 2006. More soon!
Prayer pager
This morning at DG, I read a prayer request for a young woman named Carmen. She’s battling breast cancer, but is now in the hospital with blood clots and some other issues. The person who posted the request for this young mother invited people to call a Prayer Pager for Carmen. I’d never heard of such a thing.
Install Love
The e-mail forwards god has smiled upon me and I received something great in my inbox today. I like the idea, and the presentation is pretty fun - Especially to anyone who has been on either side of a tech support call regarding the installation of software.
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